Jiggy, on one of the other message boards John Vaccaro of Nevada is always mentioned as a serious contender in the LA family. I know he is originally from Louisiana and has done some prison time. Do you have any information on him? Thanks...

Vaccaro though mentioned on the message boards as a possible boss candidate is in his mid 60s and has by and large drawn his clout from his association with Milano and others. Vaccaro emerged in the early 70s as a partner in Diamant's 9000 a restaurant on Sunset Blvd. Vaccaro arranged the deal which became a $50,000 loan from John Battaglia, Pete Milano and Louie Tom Dragna. The L.A. family then allowed Vaccaro to take a portion of that money and start a gambling operation. The financially strapped restaurant eventually failed as Vaccaro and the others mentioned abused the place financially.

In all Milano and several others "Vaccaro included" were indicted. Louie Gelfuso, Tony Endreola, an attorney Martin Calaway were the other big names involved. The most memorable occurance from this case was the murder of John Dubeck and his wife whom the prosecution charged had been a partner in the operation. Vaccaro, Milano, Calaway and Gelfuso were said to have plotted the murders.

In addition to this case, Vaccaro was linked to Jerry Zarowitz who managed Ceasar's Palace and was linked to Myer Lansky. That connection placed Jerry Zarowitz in Miami as a partner in Lum's fast food chain in the late 60s when they made a bid for Ceasar's with Clifford Perlman out front. In addition to Perlman and Zarowitz the others partners were Jay Sarno, Nathan Jacobson, Harry Wald, Albert Faccinto and the Rogers family "Ben, Victor, Nathan and Sol," from Beaumont, Texas. The Rogers represented Louisiana money. From this connection, Vaccaro was introduced into the Sarno pact and later moved on with Jerry Zarowitz and eventually Pete Milano.

With all the LA mob activity that led up to the Herbie Blitzstein murder in LV, how did Vaccaro keep his name out of the papers? All this took place in his town. Was he smart enough to steer clear of these guys?

Vaccaro cast his eyes toward Atlantic City, where the nascent casino gambling industry appeared ripe for experienced and sophisticated cheats like those working for him.

Following established Mafia protocol, Vaccaro sought out local mob approval before moving into a new territory. He met with Gallagher in North Jersey, New York and Florida before setting up the cheating operation in Atlantic City. As a result, Gallagher became Vaccaro's local sponsor and shared in the profits generated from the scheme.